Notions of Liberty

We'll begin class today with some journal writing about concepts of knowledge and liberty.
Next, with partners, we'll discuss our responses to the questions about the document you read for homework. After answering any issues or struggles you may have had, we'll work to make some conclusions about the document by answering these questions:

1. What connection does Adams see between liberty and knowledge?
2. What “values” is he adding to our conversation about what it means to be an American?

During the 2nd part of class, we'll return to our groups and continue to look at some roots of American ideas on liberty by reading three additional documents. In your groups each person will be assigned one of the following documents. You should annotate the document as you read. Consider the kind of close reading that you had to do for Adams to understand it as you annotate.

• Defense of Freedom of the Press by Andrew Hamilton 
• A Demand to Limit Search and Seizure by James Otis 
• A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom by Thomas Jefferson 

When finished, you'll share your work in this chart: Jigsaw Handout on Colonial Liberty.

• Next, you'll share what you learned from the document that you read in the chart in Part 1. If two people from your group read the same document, then they should work together to identify their quotes/interpretations/implications from that document to place in that column. 
• Each person should then make a conclusion in the box for Part 2.
• For Part 3, each person will read the linked current events article that corresponds to the document that you read (one person should shift back to the John Adams document) and then summarize the article and connect it to the document. You should discuss your conclusions. If completing for homework, both people who read the current event should respond in the box.